Allyra stilled his hands.
“After this – I’ll explain as much as I know, as much as I understand. Little that it is.” She promised. “Please just tell me about Sam.”
Jamie nodded, but didn’t meet her eyes. Her heart broke just a little bit more – how much was she willing to give up to find the answers she wanted?
It was Rob that spoke first, his voice tight and pained. “It was at the Baobab Tree…” He started and instantly she was transported into his memory of the night, seeing through his eyes.
They were walking up the hill, Sam covering the ground easily with his long, even strides, wearing familiar two-toned khaki.
Then they were at the tree. Under the shadow of its massive branches.
Four deeply hooded people were already standing there, one each in the cardinal points. Sam walked through them and leant against the tree, his head bowed against it, just as she’d seen before. The person standing in the North cardinal point pulled her hood back and suddenly she recognized Juliette, with her familiar honey blond hair twisted into a simple and elegant coil.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” She asked Sam. “It’s too dangerous. Think of Ally.”
Her father hesitated, his face drawn and tired. “I am thinking of her, Jules. The answers we need are in the Between.” He shook his head, “I’m afraid if we don’t get them soon, it might be too late.”
Juliette stared at him, but eventually she nodded and stepped back into place.
Rob was still speaking and the memory jumped forward.
The Gate was open – she could see it, black and shimmering on the Baobab tree, her father lying silently in front of it, his face serene. Then suddenly, blood spread over the khaki, seeping into the ground beneath him. The Gate wavered as the four Gifted struggled to maintain it.
Her father’s eyes snapped opened. “Close it!” He gasped. “Don’t let them follow me through.”
The Gate snapped closed, and the Gifted collectively staggered with exhaustion. Juliette rushed over to Sam, she pulled his shirt aside and revealed the long jagged wound beneath, a wound that could only be made by a Revenant blade.
Sam coughed, “Tell Allyra… Tell her I’m sorry.”
A tear slid down her face. Rob was finishing his story. “The Rising believe that the Council is hiding something in the Between. That there is more to the Betrayal than we know. The Council used the Betrayal to oust the Elementals and none have been born since. Without the Elementals, the Source isn’t renewed and the Veil grows ever more vulnerable.”
“But the Elementals betrayed all the Gifted.” Allyra said dully.
Rob nodded. “Yes, that’s the story. But what if they hadn’t?”
But what if they hadn’t?
Chapter 36 – Allyra
The three of them ate lunch together silently – none of them in the mood for much conversation. Her own mind was traitorously occupied with questions about Alex and the Between rather than concentrating on the battle ahead.
Rob and Jamie, having failed at convincing her to leave, seemed to have little else to say. It all culminated in a rather morbid atmosphere, reminding her painfully of a prisoner’s last meal before being escorted to the death chamber.
Her makeup women arrived mid-afternoon, adding to the already silent atmosphere and signaling the end of her time with Rob and Jamie.
Jamie hesitated in the doorway, before turning back abruptly and whispered urgently in her ear. “Jason can Evanesce – he can appear in any existing fire. Don’t turn your back on fire. Do you understand?”
Allyra nodded, dumbstruck. Alex had spoke about the concept of Evanescence. It had come with a strict warning about its dangers.
You become your element, scattering yourself in Air, Water, Earth or Fire. Finding yourself again is difficult; it’s like trying to find a few grains of sand amongst the beach full of it.
Only those who know themselves completely can do it. For them, it isn’t any less difficult, they just know better what it is they’re looking for, like finding grains of red sand in the beach.
Most of the Gifted would never try it, let alone master it. How had Jason at nineteen managed it?
Jamie dropped a kiss on the side of her head and pulled her into one last quick hug. His whispered words of good luck seemed to hang in the air, long after the door clicked shut behind him.
*
The women braided her hair, an intricate creation that tugged uncomfortably at her scalp. But the finished product was sleek and managed to keep every stand of hair tucked away.
Her costume for the night was surprisingly understated – just black pants and a black top. They were heavier than she’d expected and on closer inspection, she found that they had thin leather panels sown into them, overlapping each other like a dragon’s scales.
The clothes fit her perfectly, hugging close to her body. The leatherwork was detailed and intricate, allowing her to move freely, though the leather scale would likely provide poor protection against a sword or arrow.
All too quickly she was being escorted back through the garden, back towards the Combat Arena.
Chapter 37 – Allyra
The Combat Arena had been transformed for the final Trial. The trees and vines of the first Trial were long gone, nothing more than a distant memory.
Allyra stood facing Jason, the grass was smooth and soft under her bare feet. In her hands she held two swords, not the Tiger swords – they were to remain a secret, though she could hear them singing in her head, calling for her to use them, hungry for battle.
Jason stared back at her, his expression dark and dangerous, with two identical swords in his hands. The cheers of
